Jesse Brown VA Medical Center reports COVID outbreak of 18 cases

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There is an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, officials confirmed.

A spokesperson for the facility said 18 patients tested positive for the virus last week while there. In response, all staff are wearing N95 respirators at all times in high risk areas, and are required to wear goggles or a face mask when entering patients' rooms.

The facility has also stopped all inpatient visitors except for end-of-life situations until further notice.

Routine walkthroughs are being conducted to ensure proper mask wearing, the spokesperson said.

"We take this matter extremely seriously and our hope is that this will not occur again and that these measures will lead to the prevention of COVID-19 in the future for the health and safety of Veterans, their families, caregivers and our staff," they said in a statement.